Shark and Thorn
by Gray Tasare
Summary: She once had him...but Agito took him away. And when she finds him, she'd do anything to get him back even if it meant destroying the road she had to get there.
1. Challenge

**Shark and Thorn**

**Challenge**

Fuck. He couldn't have phrased it better.

So she pushed him back. Hard.

If looks could kill, she would probably have been dead five minutes ago but she knew she had gambled her cards right. And if all else failed, she knew how to cheat those cards.

"Oh, come on, Agito," she put her hands on her hips, putting in every ounce of sarcasm in her voice, "you could do better than that."

"Why you little shit!"

She rolled her eyes.

Pushing her sleeves up, she pointed to the horizon. "That water tower. You. Me. It's a stupid class F race but what the hell. I think the Fang King can lower his pride enough just for this instance."

Agito stood up, brushing off dust from his pants. "You got nerve, girl. I'll give you that."

_You'd better. Because even I don't know why the hell I'm doing this._ She smirked. "So are we just gonna stand here or what?"

"Oh, you're on. And the loser," he stressed, "gets to traverse the bloody road."

And hoping to all gods that ever existed that she'll have a bite worse than her bark, she sped off; also thinking what Yayoi would think if she managed to make a royal flush out of her cards.


	2. Too Late

**Shark and Thorn**

**A. Regret**

Being a link tuner to Agito wasn't synonymous to being his girlfriend— at least not for now, she thought.

But if it meant being by his side when he was in trouble, then by all means, she was his link tuner.

If it meant watching his every fight and celebrating together after, then yes, she was his link tuner.

And if it meant cutting class because he didn't return from an hour's worth of bathroom break…well, she was still his link tuner.

Nakayama Yayoi's day began like it should: She walked to school with Emily. Kicked Onigiri in the face for peeking at some freshman's panties. Listened to Ringo and Ikki argue over something. Watched as Agito finish canned coffee and throw it in the trash along with some paper he had been clutching since that morning. It wasn't like it was his homework so she let it be.

Bad move. It was the only thing that really differed from any ordinary day.

_Agito-kun. Please be alright._

She could feel the ticking of Agito's Fang and it was leading her to the far edge of the neighborhood.

_What are you thinking? _Yayoi thought. _Is it Kaito gone haywire again? Some stormrider out for revenge? _

As Yayoi got closer and closer, it occurred to her that whatever it was, it was ten to one that she would be eaten alive. She wasn't even a stormrider to begin with! Now it was looking like she should have copied Emily's example and taken to the skies too.

_Should I have gotten Emily? No, Kogarasumaru!_

A familiar shout made her heart stop. It was as if it was the battle with Orca again. But this time…Yayoi decided, it would be different. This time, she won't be the one being saved. After all, she had gotten a little bit better for Agito-kun, right?

But when she got to the vacant lot under the old water tower, she didn't quite know what to make of it. The Fang King was on the ground, looking like he was ready to murder the person looking down on him. However, that wasn't even the worst part.

"You?" she stammered at the girl with the long dark purple hair and slate gray eyes, "what are you doing here?"


	3. Defeat

**Shark and Thorn**

**II. Defeat**

Despite feeling the urge to throw up, collapse on the floor and not wake up until the week was over, she composed herself to look confident, in control and every inch the winner…because in the game of Kings, that was how it was done.

"Sooooo."

Agito glared at her, one-hazel eye burning with the fire of a thousand suns. "So what?"

"I won, didn't I?"

He turned away. "What do you want me to do? Grovel for a rematch? Because you won't be getting any. Fuck."

She sighed. How did she want to say it? She put her hands on her knees to stop them from shaking. "Forget your bloody road. I don't bloody care about it, anyway." _Liar._

"So what do you want? I don't have money or parts if that's what you want," Agito sneered.

"What I want is-"

But before she could muster out her demand, a voice that had changed her life had piped up from the direction of the rusty metal fence.

"You? What are you doing here?"

Agito's face changed. "Nakayama! Get out of here, fuck!"

And it was only she who saw the welling of tears in Yayoi's eyes, maybe because she knew how that felt. But by gods, her perfect plan was ruined. Why did the world have so many idiots running around foiling other people's plans?

She cast one last look at the Fang King and reminded herself that she had not lost him yet. _No, she won't lose again._

With that, she kicked up high, and sped into the distance.


	4. Mistake

**Shark and Thorn**

**B. Mistake**

Agito was agitated.

Yayoi couldn't blame him, he had been asking her the same question for the fifth time as they walked back to school and she still couldn't give him a decent answer.

But there was no mistaking it, she knew that girl…but if that girl had knocked down Agito (mind you- Agito), then there had to be something wrong with her brain…or the universe.

Somebody grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Damn it, who was that bitch?"

"I- I…"

A flying soda can knocked Agito squarely on the side of the head, making him release her. Emily skated into view, blocking Yayoi with her arms. "What the hell are you doing?!" Emily roared.

"Chill, ladies, I'm sure there's an explanation," Ikki said, "right, Agito? Usually you're not the physical type with girls…unless." He peered closely at the blue-haired boy and knocked on his forehead.

"What the fuck, Crow!"

Ikki shrugged. "All in order."

"Everything's ok," Yayoi intervened, looking down. "It's just that, I don't know how I can explain it."

The rest of Kogarasumaru skated in.

"Explain what?" Kazu asked, "and by the way, cutting class is not cool. You should've seen how we covered for you guys."

"How is making a lower classman wear a stupid lunch paper bag on his head with an abominable face drawn on it covering up?" Ringo chastised. The boys chorused how brilliant it was in the background.

Meanwhile, Agito looked Yayoi in the eye, demanding for an honest answer. How could she refuse even if she didn't quite believe it?

"That girl…she doesn't have a family or anything but she goes by the surname Sachio. I looked it up, I swear, and couldn't find anyone- alive, that is," Yayoi began. "She was a wreck when I met her. It took me two weeks before she would even talk to me and at the idea of going outside, she would freak out."

Yayoi fidgeted with her braid. "That's why when I saw her then and there, (a brief flashback explanation for the rest of Kogarasumaru) I didn't understand it at all. Did she…did she really outrun you, Agito?"

A dark aura rose from the fang King while a chorus of "confirmed!" ran in the background.

"So what's the big deal? I can outrun Agito," Ikki yawned, "and it's not like he put his emblem on the line."

Agito glared daggers at Ikki. "Because she knows something. Or else she wouldn't have left me a note saying: 'Found You' in blood."

"In blood? Dude, that's disgusting! Or should I say you've found yourself a soulmate?" Onigiri piped in. Emily gave him a karate chop in behalf of Yayoi.

Agito continued, now hesitant, "and she wouldn't have gone through the trouble of breaking into the men's room and…and…"

"And what?" for some weird reason the team was suddenly all ears.

"-and took a picture of…which was why I chased her."

Yayoi could feel that Agito was wishing the ground would swallow him right then and there. "But what did she want?"

Ikki also turned serious. "Yeah, what did this Sachio want? Because if it's a fight, we'll give it to her, Kogarasumaru style!"

Agito spat. "She didn't get to say because Nakayama here suddenly appeared."

"Then we'll just ask her," Kazu offered, "where does this friend of yours stay?"

Yayoi looked helplessly at the team before answering. "She lives in the Psycho Ward."


End file.
